I Am a Forest, a Night of Dark Trees
by zomgkateh
Summary: "I am a forest, and a night of dark trees: but he who is not afraid of my darkness, will find banks full of roses under my cypresses." ― Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra - A story of two ferals, pulled apart by fate and how maybe one day they will reunite.
1. The Stray Cat

It had been weeks since the three of them left the city, and miraculously enough trouncing around rural New York State hadn't been as horrible as she recalled. Even though it was late August now and the heat of summer was at its final peak, she barely felt it. Sure it was hot but the humidity was not as much a force to be reckoned with as it would have been if they had traveled further south. Pennsylvania might not have been too terrible, but once you hit the mason Dixon line its as if Mother Nature kicks up the heater and you start dying. So, staying a bit north this time seemed to be working out in their favor.

'They' meaning Old-Cat, Holly not-mother, and the lioness herself.

Ever since Old-Cat had found her at the beginning of July, she had immediately been brought into his broken little family. They were still missing a son-Wilhaname was his name? She only heard his name if Holly whispered it at night, for her and Old-Cat seemed to speak little of him for now. Kali did not know the story, only that he was caged somewhere and that in due time he would be free and the family would become whole again. Kali could not fill the void that the son had left, but she was family enough for them. Old-Cat considered her his cub even though there was no blood relation; he was not her father, brother, or uncle by family ties in no way. Yet in spirit, she considered him a father figure as best she could. No soul could replace her very human father holed up back home in Virginia, but here in the now Old-Cat would do. Holly would do. Kali appreciated it and she tried to let them know that when she could. It did not come in words, but actions; doing the hunting, keeping watch without needing to be asked. She wanted to pull her weight.

It would make her feel like she belonged.

There was maybe a part of her that still felt out of place maybe; like she was a lone puzzle piece, and no matter how hard they tried to fit her into final spot she just could not fit. That spot was meant for the son, not for the adoptive daughter. This weight buried her at one point. She ran away one night, feeling as Holly called it, 'lost like a tumbling weed'. She felt, in many senses of the word, lost. So much had changed in such a short amount of time and maybe she was having trouble adjusting. Maybe that was why she ran; just removing herself from everything for a little while would have maybe helped her get her bearings. So in the dark of night sometime in July, she snuck away from their den and to somewhere she knew well where she could think.

She sat by a creek; legs tucked up against her while she perched onto a flat rock and stared up into the dark sky. She desperately searched for stars, but here in the city they were very hard to come by. Impossible at times, even. The waning crescent moon was the only constant in the dark, empty sky. That and maybe if she looked hard enough and past the flying planes she would find Polaris; the North Star. Otherwise, the sky was devoid of any other constellations. No Orion, no Ursa Major, no big dipper. Everything was drowned out by the light of the city, and it made her heart sink. The stars were the only thing she truly missed about being out in the wild; the stars could not even top freedom...for one could always be free for a little while if they could just get lost in the stars.

She often looked to the sky for answers, yet being here in the concrete jungle it was rare to find answers. With the constellations blanched out by the artificial light of civilization there was nothing for her to search and nothing to guide her. So yes, she was lost. Hopelessly, hopelessly lost.

She'd been lost ever since she'd been deserted. Grumpy dog and Pup packed up without a word and simply dissipated from existence falling through her fingers like sand. It made her question if they were ever really there; were they just figments of her imagination? No. She wouldn't have had a collar around her neck right now if they were. But considering how easily they disappeared it certainly felt that way. As her search for clues turned up empty time after time her heart sank deeper and deeper each time until it was anchored deep in the ocean. The changing tides could not move it, no matter how they tried.

It was still something she could not understand. How could one moment be considered nothing more than pure joy at seeing her alive and never wanting to part with her again, to this? Blown away by the wind into nothing. Not even a trace was left behind. Was it all a game, this some large and elaborate plan by her captors to put a collar on her and keep an eye on her for her past transgressions? Her naiveté might have told her yes, and she could have moved on. Knowing Kyle and how he was submissive enough to follow orders from his alphas, she might have believed that he was going through with all of this begrudgingly so.

Yet, the pain that she remembered seeping into his eyes as his 'orders' forced him to collar her seemed to tell her that the scenario was less than likely. He might not have had the confidence of an alpha, but that meant he also did not possess that same coldness. If he wanted to leave the city, he would have told her. He would have asked her to come with them so that they could be away from the chaos. They could be somewhere safe. He wouldn't have left her behind. They were ohana; ohana never left anyone behind.

She never even noticed Old-Cat coming up behind her; that is until he started yelling at her. He was just so angry with her for leaving the den alone and without a word. Did he not trust her that could have taken care of herself if things went bad? By how thunderous and almost enraged he sounded, she thought not and that hurt her. He was treating her like a cub, not as an adult. He didn't understand that it had been years since he last saw her, the not quite an adult lioness holed up in the mountains. She was grown now, and he didn't seem to understand that. She wanted to rebel, to tell him that he should have just gone back to the den and forgotten about her. She didn't belong there anyway. Yet somehow, he herded her back anyway and she found herself huddled in her small makeshift bedroom crying and whimpering in her sleep.

Holly tried to console her; Old-Cat was merely terrified to lose another cub. He'd already lost one, he couldn't bear to lose another and she tried to explain that Old-Cat turned to anger first when dealing with anything he cared about. Kali did not understand fully, but just knowing that she was truly and dearly wanted calmed her for a while. So her need to run was quieted for a time.

So now, in late August, the three of them were acting as nomads setting up camps in different places every couple of days or so. Less if things didn't feel safe, more if things felt quiet. Everyone carried merely what was theirs and no less; the three of them together had enough survival knowledge that got them through camp building without the need of anything fancy from the store. No tents, no sleeping bags. Their belongings consisted of just some water, a little bit of food, and maybe a couple of pairs of clothes. Kali did not seem to carry as much; she chose to travel on all fours most of the time anyway. Though, before they left she chose to purchase a bow, a quiver and some arrows. Hunting on all fours sometimes wasn't ideal so having an extra weapon certainly wouldn't hurt. Besides, it was kind of fun shooting down rabbits instead of trying to pounce on them or trying to shove a knife through their skulls. Not to mention it was more instant gratification than setting traps.

She would not make a good two-legged hunter. She had the patience of a two-year old when it came to these things.

It was early morning, and the three of them had set up camp only last night so the area was still pretty new to them. But new also meant good hunting, which excited the lioness.

**"I'm going to go out and see what I can catch, I'll try to be back by late afternoon,"** she said, and surprisingly enough she did not get a protest from the still groggy and waking Old-Cat. He merely rubbed his face and jostled his mate awake, sitting up and watching the already prepared cub of his start to walk away already. He grumbled a little, but thought it best to give her a little more slack. Maybe he'd finally begun to trust her more. **"Just don't stray too far. I'll keep my ears out just in case,"** he replied, and that was all she needed from him. Just a little bit of acknowledgement and with that she'd bounded off away from the clearing of their camp and into the dense cover of the trees.


	2. A Wild Heart

Wildheart's journey was long; longer than anticipated actually. He did not expect to be gone for this amount of time however much this was. To him, there was no true concept of time. He did not feel days and weeks as much as someone else might have. He just felt time move forward in the linear manner that it did. He simply knew that more time had passed than he thought solely because of the many cycles of night and day he had trudged through. It was more than he figured he planned for, and it wasn't his fault.

Once the Mutant Registration Act was passed in July he felt a certain fear for his ward; Pup. Though the wolf was no mutant, the young whelp was too curious for his own good at times and would no doubt get caught up in the violence if Kyle, also known as Father, was not there to keep him in check and considering his employers he felt that he was going to become quite active. So, he sought a safe place to set his ward free. The two of them traveled back to the homeland, the Canadian wilderness and their deceased pack's territory to look for any traces of surviving outliers. If Father could convince them to form a pack maybe, and keep Pup as their charge, he could feel more at-ease and return to his duties.

It had only been three suns and two moons since they made their exodus, and thankfully they were already in what used to be their home. The pack's bodies were decayed and sinking into the Earth already; Kyle made a note to later bury them. They deserved it. Though there was a more challenging task at hand; find the loners then attempt to bring them together. He seemed uneasy; this was not a task meant for him...he was a beta. He was not an alpha, and he did not possess the right qualities to lead. Yet here he was, trying to do just that. Pup looked to him as their leader and did everything as asked; everything from hiding in the brush while Father scouted the area to sticking close when it was time to hunt. Pup was a fine student, even if he did not yet possess the knowledge that this world was truly cruel. Not even as he looked at his dead dam's body rotting in the soil.

They were all dead. The entire pack was slowly being pulled back into the earth, murdered for unfair reasons. Old Mama, Mama, Sister, Brother, Alpha, Baby, and Nephew. All of their mangled, bloody bodies were going back to the ground from whence they came. Everyone came from the earth. The wolves may devour the deer, but once the wolves die then their bodies sink into the earth and become the grass. The deer devour the grass, and the circle continues. It is the circle of life, and though to Father it was unfair, he knew that it was a circle that could not be controlled. The pack was gone, but they still paid their dues to the Earth Mother. They all would pay their dues one day.

_"Father, who are we looking for?"_ Pup asked, trotting alongside his heels as he kept pace. _"The loners. You'll need someone to look after you when I go back." _Father answered him, his tone sullen. He did not exactly want to leave Pup here, but knew it was for the best. _"You mean I am not going back with you? But what about Mother, does she know?"_ Pup asked, and Father visibly bristled at the mention of her name. _Mother._ It was not an angered bristle, but merely a sting. Kali was Mother, at least in Pup's eyes. She took the collar to ensure Pup's safety. She, despite being feline, helped to care for Pup when she could and as best she could. To Pup, that was enough to call her Mother. But to Father, it meant that Pup considered them mates; Kali was not his mate. She was alpha, and Father was beta. They could never be mates. _"Mother does not know, but she will understand."_ Father said with a short tone, continuing on. All other questions were left unanswered, Pup taking the hint that Father was not interested in discussing this further.

It took awhile before they encountered one of the loners. It was Grey Lady, a silvery female who was much older and unable to bear pups any longer. She was Old Mama's sister who left the pack when she was barely a juvenile. She had been just old enough to fend for herself, but not young enough to breed. Grey Lady was older than Old Mama and was supposed to be alpha, but she did not want the burden so she left to give Old Mama and subsequently Mama the title. Father only knew stories of Grey Lady, never seeming to catch sight of her though he swore sometimes at night she came to see Old Mama and they whispered in the darkness together as sisters. Once the sun would rise, Grey Lady always seemed to be gone like a ghost. Father always considered her a ghost.

_"You are Grey Lady? Old Mama's kin?" _Father asked, unsure at first but something told him he was right. She was silvery, moreso in her old age and with cerulean eyes that pierced into his very soul. She was wise, he knew this much. Old Mama seemed to get all of her smarts from Grey Lady. _"I am my sister's sister. Who are you?" _Grey Lady answered, her words holding a bit of mystery but to Father she did not deny it. _"I am Father, and this is Pup,"_ he replied while motioning to the lanky young whelp beside him. Pup cowered behind Father's legs, unsure of himself suddenly. Grey Lady was an imposing figure. The silvery female looked the both of them up and down, and it was surprising that she did not seem startled by Father's ability to communicate with her. Old Mama must have told Grey Lady this during one of their late night whispers. _"My sister spoke highly of you, Father. And pup...he is my grandnephew is he not? He is Mama's last survivor?"_

Father's eyes lowered, saddened slightly. So Grey Lady knew of the massacre; he wondered how she took it. _"Yes. He was stolen by two-leggeds but he was freed by myself and my ma—alpha." _Father had to catch his words at the end; Kali was not his mate. Kali was alpha. He didn't know how many times he had to keep telling himself that. _"Oh? And where is your alpha? Is he close?"_ Grey Lady asked, her head tilted to the side a bit in a curious manner. She did not detect three scents; only two. _"My alpha is not here. She is back in our other territory."_ Father's head dipped again, almost feeling foolish for acknowledging such a thing. Was the city really their territory? He sighed at the thought. Grey Lady merely snorted at him, looking down at pup and giving him a cautious sniff.

_"Well then. Father, you must have come here with some purpose. Come and sit with me, we can talk."_ She motioned for him to follow her then, and the three settled down somewhere close but under the cover of the trees. Grey Lady would lie down, on her stomach as a sign of comfort but she still was rightfully wary; just not wary enough to be terribly defensive. _"Now tell me what troubles you."_ Father and Pup sat down across from her, Father sitting cross-legged and Pup curling up in his lap. Father's hand went down to give Pup a quick pat on the head before he began to speak. _"Our territory is no longer safe for Pup, but I cannot abandon it. There are things out of my hands that keep myself and my alpha from leaving,"_ he explained, trying to be as straightforward as he could. _"Our territory is also not suitable for him. It is laden with stone and rock, the game is scarce and the predators many. He would be safer out here, if you would take custody over him?"_

Pup looked up at Father then, his ears back as he grew saddened. He did not want to be separated from Father; yet he knew it was for his own well-being. Grey Lady's ears perked, a perplexed look about her. _"You really cannot leave this territory? It sounds utterly dreadful. You and your alpha would be wise to make arrangements to leave and come live here." _ Father merely smirked, shaking his head. _"I wish. However, it is not that easy to do so where we live. It will take time." _It certainly would, if they ever considered leaving. But leaving the city was not as easy as Grey Lady made it seem. Maybe in a few years things would change...but things as they were now made it impossible.

Grey Lady contemplated this for a while, as seen by the pensive look upon her face. Moments felt like hours, but soon enough she arrived at a decision. _"I will look after him, Father. It is the least I can do for my kin."_ She nodded then, and Father breathed a sigh of relief. Pup seemed a little less worried then, but more curious now. Grey Lady was his grandaunt? Maybe she would help answer the questions about his family that Father did not want to answer. It seemed then that Pup was more on board with this plan; he crawled out of Father's lap and slowly ventured across to where Grey Lady lie, sniffing politely and curiously before he rolled onto his back before her and offered his submission. Grey Lady merely smirked, giving Pup a good lick. Pup squealed at the affection, returning the gesture to her muzzle. Father merely smiled; this was the kind of happenstance that he had hoped for.

But what he hadn't hoped for was the storm.


	3. The Storm

It started that evening, just a light drizzle that slicked off of wolf's fur and barely soaked into Father's clothes. He was tempted to remove them, but the small band opted to seek shelter instead. First it was in a dense thicket, uninhabited by anyone in months it seemed. It shielded well from the drip of light summer rain, but as the drizzle turned into a steady pour it seeped through the cracks and their shelter became unstable. With the ground getting soaked as it was there was no point in digging a den, so their next option was to find a cave. That would be harder to do, as most caves around here had occupants. Father investigated each promising shelter they passed, always backing down if a bear or some other predator emerged from its shadows. The rain continued to fall, weighing down wolf pelts and giving Father a soaking chill to his weathered skin. His dark dishwater blonde hair was dripping wet, and he had to keep pushing it away to get it out of his eyes. Grumbling lightly to himself he soldiered on though, and as the clouds grew darker they finally found an empty cave. It was not large, but enough for them to fit and huddle in. So the three of them curled up inside the cave, warming each other up and slowly drying off.

The skies darkened into an ominous black outside their cave, and the steady pour turned into an angry torrent of pelting rain. The rain went straight, then sideways, then sheared and back through the cycle again. Thunder rolled betwixt the trees, over the rocks and rolling hills and reverberated in their cave while white lightning lit up the sky. Pup watched the angry weather from Father's lap, his chest heaving and watching as his anxiety level grew. In the old territory, when bad weather came through they were always safe within the walls of their den but here they were dangerously close to it; the thought frightened pup extremely. He panted and whined, whimpering though he would calm temporarily if Grey Lady reached out to nuzzle the pup or if Father gingerly stroked behind Pup's ears. The cries were only briefly quieted, always coming back if a loud rumble barreled through.

The wind howled ferociously through the trees, whistling a high-pitched and menacing tone as it bullied the weaker trees about. They could hear crackles and booms in the distance, which meant that some of these mighty arboreals were beginning to fall at the hands of the storm. A few were starting to sway near their cave and when one fell not feet from the cave's mouth Pup howled and nearly squealed bloody murder. Father had to hold Pup's muzzle shut and shush him, subsequently trying to soothe him. But the poor thing was still whining and whimpering away, jumping at every fallen tree that followed the one close to their door. Grey Lady tried to console Pup as well, but he seemed to be lost in a loop of fear. So Father thought and thought of how he could calm the nervous Pup down.

_"Did you know that Mother is afraid of thunder too?"_ he whispered quietly to Pup, who was still howling at first but at the mention of Mother he seemed to focus on Father. His ears perked and his head tilted up towards him. _"Mother is afraid of thunder? But she is so brave,"_ Pup answered, just as quietly as Father. _"She is brave, but that does not mean things still scare her. Mother has learned to look her fears in the eye and wish them away." _Pup looked perplexed for a moment, trying to look outside at the raging storm that seemed to be dragging on forever. Another rumble of thunder barreled through and Pup managed to jump. _"How can I do that, Father? You are brave like Mother, can you teach me?"_ Pup asked Father, who seemed to sigh a little. _"It is hard to teach, Pup. You must try to tell your mind that all is well. Make the thunder feel small."_ Father did not know a better way to explain it to Pup; this was the only way he could describe it.

Grey Lady listened as the two talked, her ears perked in their direction while her head nestled in between her forepaws. Her tail did flick though, at the mentioning of another. Mother? Grey Lady's head lifted from her paws and she looked curiously to Father and Pup. _"Who is Mother?"_ she asked, to which both Father and Pup turned their heads in her direction. _"Mother is a-" "Mother helped rescue me and take care of me with Father!" _Pup said excitedly, interrupting Father. Grey Lady seemed more interested now, though she now looked to Father with her questions. _"Is Mother your mate? I thought you had an alpha," _she asked, perplexed. _"For Mother implies that—" "Mother is not my mate. She is alpha. Pup gave her the name."_ Father tried to explain it as best he could, though Grey Lady seemed to see past it somewhat. _"Was she to be your mate? Is she of your kind, or mine?"_

Her questions made Father's brow furrow, for he did not want to answer. However he feared not answering would be worse than answering. So he took a deep breath, before speaking up again. _"All that is true is that Mother is alpha. I could never be her mate. She is my kind, but more,"_ he replied, though he made sure to not mention a very important fact; she was feline. The apple to their orange, she was the most unlike anyone in this cave at the moment and he was unsure how Grey Lady would take it. Yet, he thought a bit. If Old Mama and the pack could accept him as their own without him being their kind...then maybe Grey Lady would understand just as much. _"Mother is cat. Cousin to hillcats; a lioness."_ He braced for her criticism then, waiting for Grey Lady to spit on the ground or growl at the idea. How could a lion lead a wolf? It was impossible! Yet, Grey Lady's sagely persona shone through at that very moment. _"She must be some alpha if a lion could have the bravery to lead a wolf."_ Father sighed in relief, barely realizing that Grey Lady had acknowledged him as her kind; a wolf.

Pup put his paws up on Father's chest then, nuzzling his cheek and giving him a swift lick before he curled up against his arm. His head faced the mouth of the cave where he stared out at the storm outside, though now he seemed calmer. Even as the thunder rolled and the trees fell around them, Pup no longer whimpered and howled. He was making it all seem small, like Father said. He then yawned, his eyelids beginning to feel heavy. _"I miss Mother,"_ he lazily whispered before burying his head in the crook of his arm. Father merely sighed, putting his head against the stone wall. _"I miss her too,"_ he whispered in return before the three of them fell asleep to the din of the storm.


	4. Father No More

The storm wailed for what felt like days, and truly it had. Though the three did not know it, three days had passed before the skies began to lighten and this beast of a storm began to pull away. The system was stuck in this push and pull like the tide, hours of calm followed by hours of anger. Father used to calmer times to go find small prey for them all to eat to keep them from going too hungry, though there were times that he came back empty-handed or short-handed. Usually in those times he sacrificed his share to Pup, but always felt guilty when he came back with nothing. He disliked seeing Pup's disappointed look while his stomach rumbled in a plea for food.

But now with the storm finally seeming to lift, they could leave the cave and go on a proper hunt. The three slowly emerged from the cave's mouth, each stretching in their own unique ways; Father pulled his arms high above his head and turned his back side to side, Pup dipped into a play bow and swayed back and forth, and Grey Lady merely walked off her aching, aging joints. She would not go on the hunt. Father inspected his crossbow, preparing the arrows and the weights so that he could take down something larger for them. Pup seemed excited to tag along, prancing around Father excitedly as he prepared. _"What are we gonna go after, Father? I'm so hungry I could eat an elk all by myself!"_ Father chuckled, ruffling the top of Pup's head. _"Won't be bringing anything that big. But you're staying here with Grey Lady. I'm going alone," _he said, to which Pup growled in protest. _"No fair! I want to help!"_ he replied, to which Father shushed him. _"When you're bigger we can hunt together. For now, stay,"_ he firmly told Pup and before he could hear another protest Father was already gone from sight.

Father stalked the woods for hours, looking for anything to help him. The scent of prey was mottled by the recent storm, the tracks washed away. He was relying on his eyes alone, at least until things dried up a bit. With his crossbow set and readied he silently stalked a good area of the forest until he saw between a couple of trees something feasible to take down. It was a buck, not too old by the looks of him. His horns were not as grand as older ones were, which meant this one was not as seasoned as the rest. Father grinned, crouching low to the ground as he began his approach. _Just stay still, it'll be over soon. _

He then stopped a safe distance away, drawing his crossbow and looking down the sights to aim. He was debating on going for the head or the chest; both would be feasible as the buck was still quite oblivious to Father's presence as it grazed on the soggy grass below them. After a few moments Father settled on aiming for the chest, readying his shot. He took a deep breath, finger on the trigger when suddenly out of nowhere he saw something charge forward and take the buck down by the neck. He was shocked at first, the blur of pale gold messing with his senses. **"Kali?"** he whispered to himself that being his first thought and he stupidly went running forward. Why he thought that the blur was Kali he did not know but he felt strongly about it for some reason. **"Kali!" **he yelled again, running towards the scene expecting to see a blue-eyed, collared lion with its jaws around his kill.

Yet, as he got closer he skidded to a halt. That pale gold blur turned into a sandy bulk of muscle, sleeker than a lion's frame. It was no lion, but a hillcat. A normal, wild hillcat. The mountain lion drew its mouth from the buck's neck and glared at Father, its ears flattening against its skull before it gave low growl and hiss at him. He growled back at the cat but instead of challenging it for the kill he let it go, backing away back into his hunt. He sighed to himself, rubbing his face a bit. Maybe he was a little disappointed that it wasn't Kali. But honestly, he should have known better. She would never come this far north. Turning about he moved on, resuming his hunt.

It would be hours before he saw anything else but finally, when the sun was past its highest point in the sky, he spotted another buck. This one was older than the previous target, wiser but was just as hungry from being cooped up due to the storm. The buck grazed warily, and luckily enough Father was downwind so the buck never saw him. Father coiled, setting hit shot up once more and instead of dilly-dallying around with where to shoot he merely took a quick glance down the sights before he pulled the trigger and sent an arrow into the buck's heart. It bugled a painful call before it fell, at which Father quickly approached and shot the buck in the head to end its suffering. Pulling the arrows out he set them back up on his crossbow, hoisting the buck up to carry it the long way back to the cave.

As the sky turned pink and orange, he began to approach the last set of trees that separated the forest from the clearing around the cave. There were fallen trunks he had to maneuver over, but otherwise things weren't terrible. However, as he grew close a menagerie of scents hit his senses like a brick wall and he paused. Inhaling deeply and multiple times, he soon differentiated each; he detected one bear and...no. Father snarled, throwing his kill to the ground as he started to run as fast as his legs could carry him. He pushed past the trees and into the clearing, running towards the cave to where he skidded to a halt again. Frozen like a deer in the headlights, he looked in horror at what he saw.

There was blood everywhere. He hadn't seen so much in so long, and it absolutely terrified him. It shook him to the core, which almost brought him to his knees right then and there. But his pounding heart and racing adrenaline kept him standing and he took a panicked look around. Amongst the blood he saw what looked to be the silvery (though now blood-stained) Grey Lady, flat out on the ground and barely breathing. And Pup...Father growled and he ran over to Grey Lady's side where he surveyed the damage. She was badly wounded and looked like she had fought something off. The bear? Her body was ripped apart, bleeding profusely and it was remarkable that Grey Lady was even alive. He held her head, careful not to move her too much as to not injure her further. _"What happened? What did this?" _he urged, hoping she could answer. Grey Lady painfully opened her eyes halfway, struggling to breathe. _"Bear...m-mother. Was her den. Cubs gone...so she...she took..." _she struggled to say, coughing as she got the last bit out. She paused then, her eyes tearing up as she drew in a last deep breath. _"P-pup is no longer...w-with us..."_ she heaved and as the breath left her body so did her life. She grew limp, eyes shut and her heart slowed to a halt. Grey Lady was dead.

Father snarled, setting her head down on the ground before he slammed his hands down onto the muddy ground. No, not again. He'd already lost his pack once. This was supposed to be their chance to start anew, to rebuild and grow once more. Not to be destroyed yet again by some outside influence. She stumbled to his feet and started to frantically look about, finding the bear's tracks and he was determined to follow them and kill the bear. Mother or not, her rage was not acceptable. He would get his vengeance. He was going to put an arrow right through that bear's head right between the eyes. He was sure of it.

Stumbling along the trail, he didn't get too far before he saw something that almost made his heart stop. A small, blood-stained lump of a body lay on the side of the bear's tracks that continued on, and Father was almost too scared to go over and investigate. Yet he somehow mustered the courage to do it, swallowing the fear and cautiously approaching the lifeless form. He prayed that it was not Pup. He prayed that it was some other pack's foolish get, and that Pup was still out there somewhere. But as he grew closer, his fears were realized. Falling to his knees, Father scooped up the lifeless and mangled Pup into his arms. He listened for a heartbeat foolishly, but upon hearing silence he buried his face into Pup's cold and bloodied chest. It was then that Kyle began to sob angry, forlorn tears into his ward's limp fur.

For he was not Father any longer.


	5. Holes

Kyle dug one large hole in the mud. It was in a clearing, away from the bloody massacre that had happened last evening. Now it was early morning, the sun was rising and everything was starting to dry off. But still he dragged his claws through the mud, pulling it away until he had one deep hole ready for the burial. It was hours upon hours of back breaking work before it was suitable enough, and once it was he carried Grey Lady into the hole first and set her down. He lay her on her side, curled up nice and comfortable as if she were sleeping. He stroked her fur and caught a sob in his chest, silently thanking the elder for giving her life trying to save Pup. Once he had her in the right position he left the hole and went to pick up Pup.

He cradled the lifeless whelp in his arms for a moment, gazing at him and longing for him to wake. He wanted it to be some kind of sick joke that Pup was playing on him, and he would wake to show him that all was well. But after moment of silence, he truly knew that Pup was not among the living anymore either. Kyle's eyes burned as his memories of the whelp flooded his brain and he could barely move. He thought of their talk in the storm and how he calmed the whelp down. He thought of their time back in the other territory, their time with Mother. With Kali. Oh, what was she going to do when he told her the news? Another sob caught in his chest and this time he let them come. He let the sobs happen, for with each tear he drew strength. He would not let their memories be washed away so easily.

**"I'm sorry I wasn't here to protect you,"** he whispered to Pup's body, slowly carrying him over to the hole where Grey Lady's body rested. Kyle then set the pup down nestled up next to his grandaunt, making it so it looked as if they were merely resting. Kyle gave the both of them a few more gentle pats before he backed up from the hole a little bit, beginning the begrudgingly long process of pushing all of the muddy soil over them to bury their bodies back into the ground. He growled each time he scooped up a pile of dirt, growing angry with himself as the moments passed on and on. He should have been here. He shouldn't have strayed so far from the cave, he could have taken down some smaller kills and fed them. If he just hadn't gone so far away...they'd be alive.

He remembered the day he found out the rest of the pack was murdered, and how Kali was there beside him trying to console him. _"There was nothing you could have done, this is not your fault."_ He heard her voice and those words echoing in his mind, which made him question his own thoughts. Was this his fault? He did not remember smelling bear when he scouted the cave. He didn't remember smelling bear anywhere, actually. So in all honesty, he thought the cave was safe. He thought it was alright to stray far to get good food, because of that sense of security. He didn't know any better, so maybe this was not his fault. Kyle grunted, throwing the last bit of dirt over the mound and he did the only thing he could think of for he could not write words. He drew a cross in the dirt mound and then put a few sticks in to maybe make it last a little longer. Once he did that he stood, staring at the mound for a few moments.

**"Say hello to our family for me,"** he whispered to them, grabbing his crossbow and slinging it over his shoulder before he walked away. Looking at the dried bear tracks he debated on going forth to track it and kill it but considering how much time had passed the bear probably had too much distance on him. He'd never catch up. Kyle still stared at them for awhile, the urge to follow still strong but yet he heard the lioness' voice in his head again. _"Stop it, it's not worth it."_ Pup and Grey Lady were worth their burials. They were not worth a wild goose chase into the Canadian wilderness that may or may not lead to an angry bear that would no doubt try its hardest to rip him to shreds. They were worth so much more.

So instead, Kyle turned away from the tracks and headed the only direction he thought was best; south. His journey had already been strung out this long, and now heading back would take even more time. He had no money left to use human transportation means, so the only thing he could do was head back on foot. Sighing, he trudged forward. Many suns would rise and set, and many more moons would rise and fall before he really noticed he'd made some headway.

For quite a bit of time later, he passed under a large metal sign that read as follows: "Welcome to the State of New York".


	6. An Exercise in Patience

Kali covered a fair amount of ground during her hunt. To her, it did not feel like too much yet in the grand scheme of things she had covered miles upon miles. She was grateful that Old-Cat had let her work alone and without any intervention from him, which was actually quite a relief for her. He had become a bit overbearing at times, sometimes keeping too close of an eye on her though they both knew that she was very capable of handling herself out here in the forest. After all, he was the one that taught her pretty much all she knew. Having this much time out here alone helped to clear her mind, making her current task at hand the only thing she needed to concentrate on. The hunt was most important; she didn't want to come back empty handed.

Her steps were quiet as she traversed the varying terrain, taking care to not accidentally step on anything that might give her position away to any nearby prey. Her senses were dulled in this two-legged form but to her it was a welcome challenge, to practice the skills she had learned in her younger years. Although hunting on four legs might have been easier and quicker, she was not interested in being fast this very day. She wanted to take advantage of all the time she could to be alone with her mind delved deep into tracking and hunting. The rush was like nothing else; at any point something could come out of hiding and into her sights, forcing her to think and act quickly. But that's how she wanted it; she didn't want to waste time contemplating her next move; she just wanted to see an opportunity and take it without hesitation.

As she walked, she held her bow and arrow at the ready, arrow half-drawn and set on the string as to make it faster should something stumble into her line of sight. However, so far things seemed to be quiet...but she didn't seem to mind. This was an exercise in patience; something the cat lacked at most times. Her eyes scanned the terrain with each step she took, looking for anything that might give her any type of sign; a snapped branch, some more well-trodden path, marks in the bark of trees...anything really. Even a recently torn down spider's web might have given her some kind of hint as to the path of any potential prey. Kali paused for a moment, standing still and putting a finger to the wind in order to determine its direction. Better to know the way the wind blew in case she needed to stay downwind of something.

A subtle rustle caught her attention, and her eyes darted to the right. At first she saw nothing, but she still froze where she stood. Her breath quieted, eyes focused as she tried to drown out the pounding of her heart in her head. Silence fell over the area for a moment, almost making her doubt her own ears. Maybe the rustle was a figment of her imagination, trying to make her believe she was more skilled than she was. Yet, as she continued to exercise her patience that's when she saw it; with another rustle, a small buck emerged from behind the cover of a few trees. He was young, barely had any antlers and she could have sworn she still saw some of his fawn spots dotting his hide. She was not sure if he knew she was close; he seemed to be paying a decent amount of attention to his surroundings yet if he really had known how close she was he should have already been running. Yet, he stood at attention; ears were perked attentively, his white tail up in alarm. He knew there was danger, yet he could not pinpoint it.

Kali took a deep, silent breath in and readied her bow. She drew it up, pulling the arrow back with her fingers. Her gaze focused on the buck's chest, aiming the arrow right square in the middle. Another deep breath rose and fell from her chest, exhaling slowly to calm her nerves. _Keep your hand steady, shoot with both eyes open, _she thought. Kali's pose hardened like ice, standing still as stone until she had the perfect chance. She was just about ready to release the arrow until...

**"Kali?" **the voice threw off her concentration, still letting the arrow fly but instead of hitting its target it landed straight in the middle of the tree right next to the buck. The action caused the young deer to spook, darting away back into the cover of the woods. She snarled, disgruntled that her chance at a kill had been spoiled, and considering she'd used up so much time to get this far that buck was her last chance. Now she would need to head back, ashamed and empty handed. However, she was now more angered by whoever ruined her perfect chance. Whirling around while drawing another arrow from her quiver she prepared to shoot the sonuvabitch who fucked up her concentration. **"Asshole, you ruined everything!"** she snarled, ready to put an arrow through the stranger's head.

Though, as she turned and saw the source of the voice she almost choked, lowering her weapon as her angered look turned into something along the lines of a deer in the headlights. It was Kyle.


	7. You Run and You Run

Maybe in another time, this reunion would have gone differently. There would have been joyful squeals and running towards each other for tight hugs and other things. This reunion would have seen this as a happy meeting of the minds, of two souls connected by a red thread that had stretched miles upon miles but never broke. That's how it should have played out, to give them the happy ending they needed. For so long their life together was a roundabout of unhappy endings with bits of happiness intermingled between it all...for once they needed something good.

But fate was laughing at them.

Kali did not run to him. She did not drop her bow and arrow to the ground. She did not yell his name and grab him into the strongest of embraces. She did not shed tears of joy at seeing her ohana before her once more. No, the lioness ran. She turned tail and without giving him the slightest chance to speak a word she bolted as fast as her legs could carry her. _No, no no! _she thought, her thoughts screaming at her as she threw the arrow back into the quiver and slung the bow over her chest giving her arms free range of motion. Her chest heaved, her lungs getting dry and burning as she ran with certain gusto that she rarely possessed. It was as if she were running for her life from some imminent danger.

Kyle seemed stunned for a moment, not knowing what he expected. Did he expect to get yelled at, or greeted as if nothing had ever happened between them? He was ready to apologize for being away for so long (even though he had no real grasp on exactly how long that was) and was prepared to explain the delay. He was ready to tell her about Pup's untimely demise, and he was prepared to catch her if she fell. Yet, she did not give him that courtesy. She fucking ran, and his mind snapped out of his jaded view of reality into a panic. He couldn't let her get away, he wasn't going to lose her when he just found her. So Kyle snarled, breaking into a run as well. Kali had already put some good distance between the two of them but he sought to close that gap, running as fast as his legs could carry him. He barreled past bushes, leapt over logs, and used anything he could to his advantage until he started to see her again. **"Kali stop!" **he yelled at her, but she seemed to be blocking him out.

Well, at least he thought so. But Kali proved his ass wrong, not by stopping but by yelling right back at him. **"No, you stop running!"** she bellowed, her lungs expanding and contracting forcefully as she did not break her pace. She barely even turned her head back to look at him, choosing to focus on her current path rather than what was behind her. She sought to find a way to shake him, yet with him catching up that wasn't going to be as easy. If she could just get out of his line of sight, she could have messed with her tracks and jumped into the stream to throw him off the trail like Old-Cat taught her. Yet, unless she found some hidden power within her she didn't have the energy to do that. So, her only option left was to keep running. She kind of figured she was heading in the direction of camp and Old-Cat could take care of Kyle, though her sense of direction was a bit off at the moment and she was actually headed a little too far west.

**"I ain't stoppin' until you do!"** he yelled right back at her, his lungs stinging just as much as hers did while he ran. He'd been used to running with the pack, but right now they were darting about like cheetahs on the savannah deep in a chase. They were going at their maximums, Kyle trying to take her down and Kali simply trying to lose him. He was unsure how long he would last, but he had to hope that she wouldn't outrun him. She started before he had, maybe she'll tire before him as well. So, growling to himself he pushed onward. The gap started to close a bit more, and with one last push he surged forward and then leapt forward towards her.

Kyle grabbed her and the both of them fell in a loud and rowdy tumble to the ground at which they both rolled a good few feet before their momentum caught up with them and they stopped. He was on top of her, pinning her down and she was thrashing like no tomorrow. **"Get the fuck off of me!"** she snapped at him, trying to kick at him but the position he had her in made it a bit hard to get her legs under him properly. Kali's arms were pushed out to the sides of her body, held down by his hands and even as she tried to pull away he had her down firmly. She debated on shifting, knowing that would throw him off of her pretty quickly yet her own panic at being held down clouded her better judgment.

**"No, ain't doin' it!" **he yelled at her, staring her down with his cool blue eyes while he bared his teeth at her. **"Not until you stop fightin' me!"** he made sure to add, their eyes meeting and Kali took this as a threat. She bared her teeth right back at him, audibly and loudly growling. She wished her human teeth were as threatening as her feline ones were, it might have been more convincing at the moment. However, her thrashing did quiet enough for him to loosen his hold on her, but not enough to completely let her go. He was afraid she might go running off again, and he had good reason to fear that. He glared at her, trying to take a breather himself to calm down.

Once Kali finally stopped fighting against him, he closed his eyes and sighed before he glared at her again. **"If I let you go you ain't gonna run okay?" **he asked, at which all Kali gave him was a short nod. Tentatively then he moved off of her, releasing his hold and allowing her to sit up. She did so, pushing herself up to sit and away from him a little. She wasn't running she just...didn't want to be near him at the moment. Kali's eyes narrowed at him, shifting her weight to sit on her knees and ready to run at a moment's notice. **"You shouldn't be here,"** she snapped at him, **"You need to get outta here right now. You don't belong here!" **Kyle merely grunted, not particularly swayed by her words. **"Bullshit,"** he confidently replied, calling it right there. But he didn't know who else she was here with and that was his own fault. **"I can't leave without talking to you!"**

Kali growled at him, pushing herself up to stand. **"No, you don't get it! Now grab your shit and go, leave me alone!" **If he only knew that her defensiveness was not only for herself, but...

All of a sudden, Old-Cat burst out from the dense trees and put himself in between Kali and Kyle, acting as an immediate barrier to separate them. His claws were extended and he was growling, bearing his teeth at Kyle. **"You heard her whelp, go home!" **he chimed in, his voice laced with a certain anger and protectiveness as he shielded his cub. Kali jumped back, stumbling over her feet for a few steps before she spoke up. **"It's fine Old-Cat! I had this, he was going!"** she tried to explain, though it seemed that her words were hitting a stone wall. Old-Cat's steely grey gaze fell on Kyle's, issuing some sort of challenge to him. It was more like an _I dare you to take one step closer_ kind of challenge, at which if Kyle made one wrong move then Old-Cat was prepared to attack. Kyle's gaze merely hardened, glaring down Old-Cat as he did not falter from the challenge. He did not move back nor forward, merely staying where he was. He would not back down so easily.

**"Why the fuck are you hanging out with this maniac, pussycat?! Do you even know who he is!" **Kyle yelled at Kali, and it seemed that maybe Wildheart knew exactly who was standing in front of him. He didn't seem to forget a face, even if it was years ago locked up in the military prison. He would never forget Victor Creed's face. **"I know who he is, that ain't the point!"** she snipped right back, peering her head out from behind Old-Cat's protection. **"Just leave!"** she pleaded now, hoping Kyle would just do it. Old-Cat getting involved in their business was enough for now, and the only thing that would diffuse the situation would be Wildheart's exodus. So as Kali's eyes met Kyle's she was practically begging for him to back down and leave. Please, for everyone's sake. **"You heard 'er, now go on whelp! Git!"** Old-Cat snarled at Kyle, which stirred a growl from Wildheart's throat before he shied away. **"Fine," **he answered, mildly defeated as he began to back away. His eyes met Kali's one more time, before his disappeared into the cover of the forest.


End file.
